When things come off the rails....

There will come a day when things come off the rails.  This topic is close to my heart or, I should say my back, after dealing with a chronic back injury for the past few weeks.  You never know when things will come off the rails in your exercise life, but one thing you can count on is that there's always something you can do about it.  Coming "off the rails" can kick your butt, but it can also bring out a strength you never knew you had - that way you can kick it right back (once you're allowed to kick, of course!)

Coming off the rails usually stems from a non-threatening event, but most commonly involves:

• an injury
• an illness
• an unexpected, unforeseen change in schedule ("Surprise!  Companys coming to visit for an entire month!")
• a known quantity that always railroads you no matter how much you prepare (the holidays, a vacation, a visit from a friend who still acts like he's in highschool...)

The biggest problem, however; often isn't the "off the rails" event itself, but our response to it.  The most common and debilitating reaction is frustration.  As in "I was finally getting back to my workouts / seeing results / not hating my workout routine, when I caught a cold / injured myself / agreed to host the office Christmas party and ended up quitting / skipping too many workouts ....and am now completely off track."

Most advice is useless in this situation, but there are two things you can do to get through almost any "off the rails" event:

1.  DON'T GIVE UP - promise yourself that you won't stop exercising, even if all you can manage is five minutes of focused exercise.  This will help you keep your workouts somewhere in your life.  Maybe they aren't your first priority, but they're still a priority.
2. FIND A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD - "off the rails" can be like a brick wall, making it difficult to get back on the rails.  The important thing to remember is that there is always a way to move forward.  Maybe moving forward means working the parts of your body that aren't injured or lightening up on exercise until your cold is gone.  Maybe moving forward is walking the stairs at work on your lunch break if you can't make it to the gym.  Even if you can only move a millimeter at a time, you're keeping that forward motion.

What do you think?  Have you been derailed from your workouts?  Remember to just moving forward ...carefully!

Batwings - Buffalo wings - Ham hocks - Jelloceps ??

Whatever you call your triceps, there's a good chance you've tried exercise to get rid of excess fat there.  Unfortunately, target exercises can't burn fat off of specific parts of the body, but they can build muscle, which contributes to overall fat loss.

There are a variety of exercises we can do for the triceps and, while they're all good, some are better than others.  Experts figured out just which exercises exert the most muscle activation in a recent study, and you'll find that the most effectives moves are also the most challenging ....hmmmmm, interesting it works that way!

Here are the top three ....the most effective triceps exercise starts with the toughest one of all, the triangle pushup, which elicited the most muscle activity of all the triceps exercises studied.

TRIANGLE PUSHUP

1.  Begin the move by positioning the hands on the mat directly under the chest with the fingers spread and the thumbs and forefingers touching, making a triangle shape.

2.  Straighten the legs into a plank position (harder) or keep the knees on the floor for an easier version.

3.  Make sure the back is flat and the abs are engaged as you bend the elbows, lowering until your chin or chest touches the mat.  If you can't go that low, go as low as you can and work to build enough strength to lower all the way down over time.

4.  At the bottom of the movement, your elbows will naturally flare out to the side.

5.  Press back to start, keeping the torso rigid, and repeat for 1 - 3 sets of 8 - 16 reps (or until fatigue).

KICKBACK

The kickback is the second most effective tricepts exercise and not far behind triangle pushups, coming in at about 88% of muscle activation.  By bending forward, you really have to work against gravity to move the weight up and down.  The key to this move is to use your shoulder to stabilize the upper arm, allowing the forearm to extend behind you.  If you feel your elbow drifting down, use a lighter weight to keep good form.

1.  Prop the right foot on a step or platform, resting the right forearm on the thigh to support the back.

2.  Hold a weight in the left hand and pull the elbow up to torso level.

3.  Keeping the elbow in that position, extend the arm behind you, focusing on contracting the triceps.

4.  Lower the forearm down to about 90 degrees and repeat for 1 - 3 sets of 8 - 16 reps (or until fatigue).

5.  Focus on keeping the upper arm stationary against the body throughout the exercise.

DIPS

Dips are the third most effective exercise and a tough one depending on how you position your feet.  In this version, the knees are bent, making the exercise easier.  Extending your feet will increase the intensity of the exercise.  The key to keeping this move safe is to keep your hips close to the chair or bench to avoid straining the shoulders.  Make sure you keep the shoulders down and away from the ears and, if you feel any discomfort in the shoulders, skip this exsercise.

1.  Sit on a chair or bench with hands just outside of the hips and the knees bent or the legs extended straight out (harder).

2.  Lift up onto the hands and keeping the hips very close to the chair or bench, bend the elbows, lowering down until they're at about 90 degrees.

3.  Keep the elbows pointing behind you, the shoulders down and the abs engaged.

4.  Push back to start and repeat for 1 - 3 sets of 8 - 16 reps (or until fatigue).

5.  AVOID this exercise if you feel any pain in the shoulders.